Home Office

Visas: Ukraine

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Harrington of Watford on 1 June (HL337),and his remarks on 7 June in relation to Ukraine that “visas take between two and three days" and that "the number of applications awaiting conclusions is about 19,000" (HL Deb col 1088), how many of those applicants have been waiting for clearance for (1) one, (2) two, (3) five, and (4) more than 10, weeks; and what are the reasons for the longer delays.

Lord Harrington of Watford: Information on the number of visas granted under these schemes can be on the GOV.UK webpage: Ukraine Family Scheme and Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine) visa data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Applications are normally processed in date order from when documents were uploaded, or after an appointment at a Visa Application Centre (VAC). We are working seven days a week to process applications.

Passports: Applications

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofthe time taken to (1) issue new passports, and (2) renew current passports.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Since April 2021, people have been advised to allow up to ten weeks when applying for their British passport as more than 5 million people delayed applying due to the pandemic.Between March and May, over 90% of applications processed were completed within six weeks, with approximately 98.5% completed within ten weeks.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

Parliamentary Procedure

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether he plans to publish the marked-up text showing the proposed changes to theCompanion to Standing Ordersfrom the 2017 version; and whether he plans to consult peers prior to printing the new version.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The new edition of the Companion to the Standing Orders will, like all previous editions since the Procedure Committee was first appointed in 1940, be issued under the authority of that Committee. In line with longstanding practice, the members of the Procedure and Privileges Committee have been briefed on all the changes contained in the latest edition, and no changes of substance have been or will be made unless they have been agreed by the House as a whole.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Infosys: Contracts

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many contracts were awarded to Infosys in the last five years by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; and what was the cost to the taxpayer of each of those contracts.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Officials have found no record of any contracts having been awarded by the FCDO to Infosys in that timeframe.Records of Government contracts above £10,000 in central government and £25,000 in the wider public sector are published on Contracts Finder:https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Medical Treatments

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to enable a system whereby COVID Medicines Delivery Units (1) can becontacted by patients directly for emergency treatment, and (2) have direct access to patient medical records so it can give the appropriate clinical advice to each patient.

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the (1) operation of, and (2) access to, the COVID Medicines Delivery Unit (CMDU) system, with particular reference to the role of the 119 telephone number in that process.

Lord Kamall: There are currently no plans to enable self-referral. When an individual within the eligible treatment cohort registers a positive test, their eligibility is identified through clinical coding which notifies the local COVID Medicine Delivery Unit (CMDU) to contact the patient to assess their suitability for treatment. If patients are not contacted within 24 hours or are not digitally identifiable, they can contact their general practitioner (GP) or NHS 111 for a referral to a CMDU. CMDUs have access to the patient’s medical history to ensure that the treatments available are safely and appropriately prescribed for the individual.The Antivirals and Therapeutics Taskforce and NHS England and NHS Improvement review the operations of CMDUs to ensure they remain fit for purpose. The 119 service provides assistance to order tests and report results for patients who are not able to do so online. The 119 service does not provide clinical advice and cannot confirm eligibility for treatment or refer patients to CMDUs to be assessed for treatment.

Doctors: Gender Recognition

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment the NHS made of the implications for the right of a patient to request treatment from a doctor of the same sex when allowing doctors to register under a new name and gender on the General Medical Council medical register.

Lord Kamall: No formal assessment has been made.

Non-tuberculous Mycobacteria

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on patients with non-tuberculous mycobacteria should there be a delay to the next meeting of the NHS England's Clinical Priorities Advisory Group.

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are in place to test patients treated with macrolide therapy for non-tuberculous mycobacteria; and how many of these tests have been undertaken in England.

Lord Kamall: No formal assessment has been made. Patients with non-tuberculous mycobacteria will continue to be managed in primary and secondary care settings and treated with the current available treatments known as ‘Guideline Based Therapy’ as recommended by the British Thoracic Society.The British Thoracic Society guideline for the use of longterm macrolides in adults with respiratory disease suggests that patients who are able to expectorate should be considered for testing for non-tuberculous mycobacteria prior to starting long-term macrolide therapy. A copy of the guideline is attached. NHS England and NHS Improvement do not hold data on the number of tests undertaken.Guideline for Long Term Macrolide Use (pdf, 1051.5KB)

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Northern Ireland: Animal Welfare

Lord Morrow: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment theyassessment they have made of the requirement for animals purchased in Great Britain to be returned to the selling herd or sent to an approved test centre for 42 days before they can be transported to Northern Ireland; what analysis they have conducted of the impact of this period increasing from 30 days to 42 days since the introduction of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland; and what steps they are taking to reduce this period.

Lord Benyon: Once an animal has been purchased at a show in Great Britain, this animal can then move to Northern Ireland, as long as it has fulfilled its residency requirements. This means the animal must have been a resident in GB for 3-6 months, or from birth, depending on the reason for movement. These requirements apply to GB originating animals that are intending to move into Northern Ireland after purchase. In order to support the ability for Northern Ireland livestock (sheep, goats, cattle) to attend shows, sales and exhibitions in Great Britain an easement was formally agreed between the UK Government and EU Commission in January this year, which allows Northern Ireland livestock to attend shows and sales in Great Britain without being subject to a 6-month residency requirement in Great Britain, on the condition that they return to Northern Ireland after 15 days. This allows for livestock to return to Northern Ireland without having to spend 6 months in Great Britain. Following their arrival in or return to Northern Ireland, DAERA then require livestock to be subject to 30 days in isolation with a minimum time lapse of 42 days between Tuberculosis tests.

Bread: Food Composition

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the survey by Opinium, conducted on 13–17 May, which found that 61 per cent of respondents said they were "not totally confident of what goes into most supermarket loaves"; what steps they intend to take in response; and what plans they have to improve the health benefits of bread.

Lord Benyon: It is essential that consumers have trust in the food they eat, and we recognise the importance of accurate labelling and quality standards for foods, including bread. The UK maintains high standards on the information provided on food labels and packaging so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy. Existing food labelling rules and other requirements on the control of additives in food production ensure that food is produced safely and labelled effectively to enable consumers to make informed choices on the food they buy and consume. The Government is committed to optimising the information that is available to consumers, and the Food Strategy White Paper, which we expect to publish soon, will set out work that we will be taking forward on consumer information and transparency Bread sold on the domestic market must also comply with The Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 which sets out specific composition and labelling requirements. There is an ongoing review of The Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 which will include a public consultation on policy proposals where members of the public will be able to express their views. Part of the consultation will look at the implementation of government plans to introduce folic acid fortification to flour. This policy aims to improve public health benefits of bread and other flour containing products by helping to reduce the number of cases of Neural Tube Defects in foetuses.

Perishable Goods: UK Trade with EU

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what decisionsthey have taken following therecent discussions with the (1) United Nations, and (2) the EU, on the movement of perishable goods between the UK and the EU under the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

Lord Benyon: We are not aware of any discussions with the UN on this specific issue. We continue to engage with the EU on a range of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) issues through the TCA framework. The TCA established the Trade Specialised Committee on SPS measures, including certification requirements and border clearance processes, and their application, in order to facilitate trade between the Parties. The Committee last met in September 2021 and the minutes can be found here.